WWII Veterans to Receive Benefits for Exposure to Mustard Gas and Lewisite

National VFW - 8/7/2017

On Wednesday, Congress passed the VFW-supported Arla Herrell Act,
which has been championed by Senator Claire McCaskill and will expand
benefits for veterans who were exposed to mustard gas, and other
chemical agents during World War II (WWII). This provision
would require the VA to reconsider all denied claims for full-body
exposure to mustard gas and lewisite brought by WWII veterans who were
stationed at 22 locations. Under the bill which is expected to become
law soon, the burden of proof for those claims would fall on the VA,
rather than veterans. Additionally, it mandates an investigation to
determine what went wrong with this process and officially acknowledge
the horror these service members endured.